2018 - 2019 Coalition for Clinical Social Work Extension Program: Year One

This program has reached its maximum capacity, but you may use the link below to place yourself in a Waiting List and be in touch if a spot opens up.

Extension Program: Year One

Social Work Practice: Foundations of Clinical Work With Clients

Audrey Dunn, LCSW, Chair

This 18-week course is designed for early career and experienced social workers practicing in diverse social work settings who wish to strengthen their theoretical foundation. We welcome those who are interested in understanding how psychodynamic thinking can be applied in relevant ways to enhance effective and gratifying work.

As social workers we are often challenged by complicated circumstances in our clients’ lives and limited resources to help them. Many of our agencies cannot offer the case discussions, consultation and theoretical knowledge to support and understand our work experiences.

We will think about the clients and systems with which we work, and how a psychodynamic approach can be utilized in any social work setting. We will reconsider our ideas about our clients, what helps, and our expectations for helping. Finally, we will look at the places in which we work and how the psychological milieu affects our sense of value and purpose as social workers.

In this first seminar, we set the tone by sharing together the similarities and differences in experience as social workers. We will define and explore how a psychodynamic way of thinking can be applied, relevant, and helpful to any social work role - as clinician, case manager, supervisor, etc. We will critically examine what we mean by applied psychodynamic thinking. We intend to stimulate the social worker’s thinking and interest about one’s work and the setting in which one provides services.

This seminar will focus on developing a multidimensional understanding of the unique aspects of each client. Formulation integrates the complex interplay of developmental history, trauma, conflict and the emergence of a unique personality. We will explore how a mind develops both as an adaptation to, and the expression of troubles in, a particular life lived. Discussion will attend to ways case formulation guides the services provided and helps shape goals of the work.

This seminar will introduce and illustrate different modes of working with clients, each of which can be of help at the right moment. We will discuss the powerful urge to act on behalf of one’s client, and the pitfalls of attending primarily to behaviorally oriented interventions without keeping the whole person in mind. We will explore the importance of listening and the subtle aspects of the social worker-client relationship that foster psychological growth.

Finally, we will engage in a detailed assessment of the agency settings in which we work and explore how the setting powerfully affects the work we do within it. Utilizing a structured outline and guided discussion, we will look at the agency culture and our relationship to it. We will consider how our own expectations and frustrations interact with the demands of the agency. By looking closely at our own agencies, we will develop alternative ways to relate to this under-examined yet highly complex relationship in our working lives.

Audrey Dunn, LCSW is director of two school-based psychotherapy programs in San Francisco and has published an analysis and training guide for providing contractual mental health services in schools. Audrey also has a private practice where she sees adults and adolescents in psychotherapy and supervises school social workers and interns.

Educational Objectives:Participants will be able to

understand how to assess the impact of the setting in which one works.

outline the particular setting in which they work and the unique situational factors affecting them.

reflect on their own expectations and identify how best to work in their particular clinical setting.

This final meeting will be devoted for a final group gathering and potluck to further rehash the course, and to discuss Year Two and options for further involvement.

Thursdays, May 17, 2018

Eligibility

This course is designed for early career and recent graduate social workers, as well as more experienced social workers who wish to strengthen their theoretical foundation. We welcome social workers that are interested in understanding how psychodynamic thinking can be applied to their work in relevant, useful, and dynamic ways.

If you have any questions about your level of preparation, please contact the Coalition for Clinical Social Work Extension Program Chair: Audrey Dunn, LCSW, at 415-751-3267.

Readers Fee

Charges for reading material required for the seminars are not included in tuition. They are based upon copyright laws and change based on the content of the readers. The charges will be billed to you separately. Please submit your registration and your tuition payment two weeks in advance in order to receive reading materials before the course starting date.

CME/CE Credits Fee

The credits cost per hour is $10 for all SFCP members, and $12 for non-SFCP members. SFCP has established a cap cost of $200 for credits requested per program. The cost of CME/CE credits is separate from the programs fees and billed individually upon the request for credits at the end of the seminar.

Refund Policy

There will be a full refund if one requests to drop the program on or before December 9, 2018.

There will be a 10% cancellation fee if one requests to drop the program on or after December 10, 2018. There will be no refund for classes in progress, and SFCP will provide a pro-rated refund of tuition for classes not yet begun.

The Readers fee is not refundable.

CME/CE Credits Policy and Attendance Requirement

The San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis is accredited by the Institute for Medical Quality/California Medical Association (IMQ/CMA) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis takes responsibility for the content, quality and scientific integrity of this CME activity.

PHYSICIANS: The San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis designates this educational activity for a maximum of 4.5 to 7.5 credits as listed for each individual program (please refer to the program description tab), AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. This credit may also be applied to the CMA Certification in Continuing Medical Education.

LCSWs/MFTs: The San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis is a provider approved by the Board of Behavioral Sciences, Provider Number PCE623, for 4.5 to 7.5 CE credits on an hour for hour basis (please refer to the program description tab).

PSYCHOLOGISTS: Psychologists attending SFCP events approved for CME credits may report AMA PRA Category 1Credit(s)™ toward their CE requirements. Psychologists self-certify the number of hours they have completed on their renewal form (whether online or paper). The San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

REGISTERED NURSES: The San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 02677, on an hour for hour basis.

SFCP is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. SFCP maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.

Commercial Support: None

Faculty Disclosure: The following moderators and planning committee members have disclosed NO financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with commercial companies who have provided products or services, relating presentation(s) or commercial support for this continuing medical education activity: Audrey Dunn, LCSW, Clara Kwun, LCSW, Amy Wallerstein-Friedman, LCSW and J. Marc Wallis, LCSW. All conflicts of interest have been resolved in accordance with the ACCME Updated Standards for Commercial Support.

Physicians, Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Registered Nurses will be awarded AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ on an hour for hour basis; see the program description for the maximum of credits awarded for each program.

Psychologists participating in long-term programs (lecture series) who can demonstrate a minimum of 80% attendance for a seminar within the series, are eligible to obtain these credits by notifying the SFCP office after the seminar has ended. Seminars of 4 sessions or fewer require 100% attendance. Participants will pay the appropriate fee for the seminar (based on the number of credits they obtain), and then will receive a verification letter of their attendance.